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Page 7 • Friday, October 23, 1998
ckless Tyson undeserving of license reinstatement
yson the time bomb.
jOur President is fac-
|ing impeachment
igs for immoral and
deal behavior, our
is under constant
|its of terrorism and
tof America’s favorite
nes is on hold. What
[could go wrong?
patever could go
RICHARD
PADDACK
did on Monday when Tyson received
fixing license back after having it re
fer biting Evander Holyfield last June,
bve aside McGwire and Sosa, because
iu did for professional sports is about
put on the back burner as Mike Tyson
the ring on Dec. 5 to once again de
land degrade all that is good in profes-
sports.
; license revocation, a five-day psy-
igical evaluation and millions of
s later, Tyson is back and sup-
ly a new man.
Itie psychological report ex-
ipts of Tyson’s mandatory eval-
ln were released this week,
were not as positive as som
1 pave heard.
e report rambles on about
’s deep depression, short
(erand attention span —
Is we already knew.
It could be said that his com-
pn of a foul puts him at in-
led risk of committing another
Jse,” Dr. Roland Schouten said,
ghouten also said he would con-
r Tyson at some increased risk of
Isivity and poor judgment, and
d perfofi'iecommended follow up treatment
m the r.ithe boxer.
i. Be scariest thing is that these elements
you mate fson’s psyche are highly characteristic
hings ste'.i le average criminal. How are Tyson and
o take tliati average criminal different? Tyson gets
text to®: We.
a team,w |nie analysts speculate Tyson’s past
and wene bressions and his ability to annihilate
• defeats;
# in theses
•weep inH
•i. m sli
Kansas $&]
against
match,
:y Syto
ligs. Jui
it WOOISS)
5 and 10 iii
out-blod
olf
r tom
A&M Me;
I to Waco
heir fouitt
fad seast
ming
weeks ap|
d River Clas
Club
Ellis I
s to Wat
are com
v Honh
at Ri
Vaco. f(i
t of 36
d by IS
’idgewoocj
eat cour
I (is saio 1 .
3 with a i
1st anyone who gets in his way are re-
to his upbringing, or lack thereof,
son’s arrest at age 12 for purse
hing was among the tamest of his in-
pns. Probably because it was the only
n his life that he was not bigger than
body on the block.
;on slowly graduated to grander and
physical crimes such as battery, as-
tape and most recently, cannibalism.
[son is now 34 years old and in dire
of a career change. There are plenty
ourceful ways Tyson could capitalize
on his
strength and
mental capacity
other than boxing.
There is a high demand for test dum
mies, but he would probably be required to
sign a release form.
Wrestling is obviously out of the ques
tion. Most wrestlers are probably afraid to
fight him because they are afraid he will
forget they are just faking.
The fact is, no matter what happened to
Tyson growing up or outside of the sport,
the ring is not the place to vent his hostili
ties or anger. Every kid who plays sports
competitively growing up, learns this
“golden rule of sports” from coaches, peers
and their parents.
Participation in a sport is not a therapy
session where players vent by beating
their opponents.
• ;vJ \ Although there may be some trickle-
down ethics involved once athletes achieve
professional status and large amounts of
money are introduced into the equation,
pressure and money are all part of the
game that Tyson played and lost.
g trail
l Relit
and W
Diving
lerfe t
Neb,
Annual 6
egrading contests boost egos, illustrate missing morality
CORRIE
CAULEY
here are
some pret
ty outra-
jus things
:(ana/atM phappen on
inter, ft5err y
3 offtodaf N er Show.”
nd l,65(kf fact > there
d probably
|a “jerry ________
get Show”
ut the absurdity, obscenity
utrage his guests so willing-
unt in the face of America on
nal television,
duly for Aggies, the filth
akes it on Springer’s show
from the conservative little
of College Station, Texas —
is it?
[list as the heated shouts of “If
J°tit, flaunt it!” or “Yeah,
"diverwill.' - to ° sexy!” give rise to the de
in three :T S on Springer’s show, it is the
I starts “ti aun fing of it” that gives
the lOC-'l 10 the crowds gathered
be no If' N the dance floors hosting
a swimnw
ored event
the popular tight-fitting jeans con
tests, wet T-shirt competitions
and bikini contests.
Unfortunately, while the falling
body parts on “The Jerry Springer
Show” are subject to censorship
before they make their way onto
the screens of viewers, the declin
ing morals, of these contest partic
ipants are not. And many partici
pants abandon caution, modesty
and common sense as they get
swept up in the moment.
Encouraged by the whoops
and whistles of intoxicated on
lookers, the timid twisting soon
becomes a much more daring dis
play. A display in which the par
ticipant is degraded, demeaned
and exploited.
However, those participants
bold enough to bare, well, almost
all, not only end up with cash in
hand, but with a new narcissistic
image to go along with it.
So what does Jerry Springer
have to do with any of this?
Well, both his show and these
contests promote bad taste. Both
promote a lack of morals. And
both pay people to use their bod
ies on their behalf to promote
their image.
However, both also have willing
participants. And while it is unfor
tunate that establishments sponsor
such events, it is even more unfor
tunate that society has encouraged
— and even embraced — those
willing to flaunt their figures for
the sake of a buck.
Dance floors are not the only
place for the bold to bare it. The
beaches have become an attrac
tion for the brave bikini-clad
spring breakers.
The chance to parade around
half-naked on a stage in front of
beer-guzzling beach bums has be
come something that appeals to
many rather than to the minority.
And while hard bodies are as
popular as the sun at beach bikini
contests, the wet T-shirt contest is
easily the biggest attraction in
New Orleans.
Girls ornamented in beads,
begged to show all, are made less
than ladies by groping hands,
tasteless tauntings and the sur
render to vulgarity.
The girls who choose to par
ticipate in wet T-shirt contests
are often drenched with cold
beverages and their moment of
fame in the eyes of the heavily
intoxicated is infamous in the
eyes of morality.
The ego that was boosted up
onto the shoulders of sacrilege is
soon shot down by the realization
they are regarded with the same
respect as those talk-show guests
on national television.
And no. College Station is not
immune to this type of behavior.
Yes, the conservative little
town of Aggieland — though a
good eight hours away from the
most popular beach, and a decent
six hours from New Orleans —
Aggies bid farewell
to staff member
We are losing an outstanding
Aggie, who has been helping and
working with other Aggies for most
of her life.
Mimi Sicilio will be leaving A.P
Beutel Health Center this month af
ter many years of service as a fan
tastic, wonderful physical therapist.
Sicilio exemplifies the Aggie spir
it we hope we can see in each oth
er. Throughout the years, Sicilio has
given her best efforts to ensure
each Ag in need of care received
prompt and personalized attention.
Sicilio has been able to provide
such care with the help of student
assistants, and these student as
sistants have gained valuable work
experiences, exposure to allied
health career opportunities, as well
as earning money for school.
Now, the powers-that-be believe
the use of student assistants in
physical therapy would no longer
be necessary, and as a result, Si
cilio chose to leave the physical
just as readily promotes the ex
ploitation of anyone willing to
shake a name for themselves.
And unfortunately there are
those willing to set their values
aside in order to take center stage
to display their egos.
And while only the winner
walks away from these demean
ing contests with a handful of
cash, at least on “The Jerry
Springer Show” all guests appear
ing are compensated.
Winner or not, those partici
pating in these local contests are
all losers in the end.
The only success attained in
the event is that of successfully
establishing an appearance of
poor character, loose morals and
a purely narcissistic image — just
because you got it, doesn’t mean
you have to flaunt it. Often cu
riosity is best.
Corrie Cauley is a senior
journalism major.
MAIL CALL
therapy department at A&M.
Ags, the quality of care that you
receive at the health center contin
ues to decline. Sicilio, or another sin
gle physical therapist, could never
handle the amount of work there,
and she has prided herself in having
the opportunity to have student
workers help her so tremendously.
Has the Aggie Spirit been termi
nated in the health center? Is the
morale level declining in the health
center? What can be done about
this? We want Sicilio to stay at the
health center. We would like her to
know we love her.
Eddie Shanley
Class of ’99
Accompanied by 51 signatures
Prisons do not
solve drug problem
In response to the Oct. 20 article,
“Two students arrested on marijua
na charges”:
The sobering truth is that
these A&M students are likely to
MANISHA
PAREKH
ROBERT HYNECEK/The Battalion
One excerpt from Tyson’s evaluation said
a variety of social and financial pressures
were related to last year’s biting incident.
Tyson obviously cannot handle these
key elements of professional sports and
should not have had his license returned.
The main reason anyone will watch
the fight is the same reason so many are
attracted to “The Jerry Springer Show.” In
fact, therp is no better referee for Tyson’s
bout than Springer, especially since Mills
Lane is now pursuing safer interests, such
as court television.
Richard Paddack is a senior
journalism major.
UPD ignores
Aggie bikers
I t seems there is
a big problem
here at Ag
gieland. It has to
do with pedestri
ans, bicycles, cars
and what happens
when they meet.
Recently, there
have been a mim- ___________
her of accidents
involving bicycles and automo
biles. According to the University
Police Department, these acci
dents are due to bicyclists failing
to observe traffic laws and com
mon courtesy.
That analysis is as correct as
saying students park in yellow
lots because they like paying
parking tickets.
UPD, like the Department of
Parking, TTaffic and Transporta
tion Services, does not have the
slightest clue what is happening
on the streets of Aggieland. The
basic problem with campus /traffic
is the lack of planning and safety
consideration.
With parking lots in a different
time zone from campus, commuters
are forced to suffer death marches
to class. Busses provide no relief be
cause of their unpredictable service,
and bus stops are still far away from
key areas on campus.
This lack of close parking has
created the first ingredient in the
recipe for Aggie accidents: cars
parking in bike lanes for long pe
riods of time.
Commuters leave their cars
parked or idling in bike lanes as
they “duck inside” a building for
a little while. Meanwhile, bicy
clists find themselves without a
navigable lane to use.
UPD expects bicyclists to stay
off the sidewalks. But if cars can
not stay out of the bike lanes,
where are the bikes to go?
The next ingredient is PTTS’
closing of streets that lead to center
campus. Reaching the O&M Build
ing or Sterling C. Evans Library is
impossible without walking or rid
ing a bike.
UPD officers urge bicyclists to
slow down, but try telling that to a
bicyclist who parked at Olsen Field
and wants to get to the O&M Build
ing before his credit card expires.
As PTTS has made getting
across campus harder and harder,
the number of bicyclists has
grown. But PTTS has not taken any
action to accommodate them.
Bicycle racks are few and far be
tween. On any given day, the racks
at the Blocker Building, Evans Li
brary and the MSG are overflowing.
While UPD is blaming the ig
norant bicyclists for accidents
around campus, no one pays at
tention to the dangers bicyclists
face from ignorant drivers.
Drivers must treat a bicyclist as
though he is another car. Howev
er, drivers cut bicycles off repeat
edly at stop signs and take turns
in front of them, causing a dan
gerous situation.
Lt. Bert Kretzschmar of UPD
says “[safety] boils down to com
mon courtesy, common sense and
good judgment.”
It sounds like UPD should
send that message to PTTS in
stead of the student body. It
might make a difference.
Manisha Parekh is a junior
psychology and journalism major.
go to jail for a long, long time.
This case is one of thousands of
injustices that occur every year
in the United States’ failing "War
on Drugs.”
We are sending people to jail
by the hundreds of thousands in
this country every year, most of
them for non-violent drug offens
es. Our prisons are filled with drug
offenders, who often receive mini
mum sentences of up to five
years for simple possession.
On paper, we are spending
about $30 billion a year on the
War on Drugs, but when you fac
tor in the additional cost of hous
ing the 600,000 or so non-vio
lent drug offenders in prisons
today, and the costs of maintain
ing the prison system, that num
ber jumps to a whopping $100
billion per year.
There simply has to be a
more cost effective and com
passionate way to handle the
drug problem.
Jason Lawhorn
Class of ’97